From The Guardian -
Carla Bley, the American jazz composer-pianist celebrated for boldly avant-garde work as well as her uplifting and beautiful takes on the genre’s mainstream, has died aged 87.
Her death was announced by longtime partner and musical collaborator Steve Swallow, who said the cause was complications from brain cancer.
(Carla Bley, imaginative jazz pianist and composer, dies aged 87 | Carla Bley | The Guardian)
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Love her work and she certainly had a wonderful career!
I enjoyed her work especially with Robert Wyatt and saw her live in the 80’s.
A legend.
One of my favorites. I’m particularly fond of her trio albums with Steve Swallow and Andy Sheppard. Absolutely wonderful and mesmerizing. Great late night listening.
I am sure Carla is not resting in peace. It doesn’t seem to be her style. Loved her music over the years even though I never knew what to expect.
Sad news, I saw her band on tour in Nov. 1981 a great gig which set me off exploring her output. Currently listening to “ Social Studies” one of my favourites.
Late 1981 would have been when she gave a free gig with her band at my university. Unfortunately I only heard about it from my neighbour at the Hall of Residence after the event. To say I was peeved at the time to miss it is an understatement !
I know how you feel. I am still smarting from being in the wrong place when Paul McCartney arrived to do a free gig at Newcastle Uni sometime in the early 70’s!
The Carla Bley tour was organised by the Arts Council’s Contemporary Music Network which ensured that contemporary music composers and acts performed all over the country and not just London.
Yeah, I was gutted. Especially when my neighbour, who wasn’t into jazz, said how good it was. Same tour and the venue was Intercollegiate Theatre, London. There was a raging recession going on at the time and free gigs were always welcome.
If I remember rightly, that band was the one that had D. Sharpe on drums.
The world becomes poorer each day.
Really enjoyed a concert by her Very Big Band in Aberdeen in the early 1990s with her daughter, Karen Mantler, as the support act.
Some more memories in the Jazz Music thread.
An nice write up today regarding Carla at the The Blue Moment website this morning, https://thebluemoment.com
I’ll miss her. Never forget seeing her at The Roundhouse (think it was). I was stood gaping at the very front of the stage…Beautiful music, beautiful person.
She’s taken the Escalator, god love 'er.
Don Cherry’s Desert Band will be riffing away as she takes that Escalator - with McLaughlin doing his ‘Rawalpindi Blues’ bit.
Saw her perform at Jazz nights at the Strathallan Hotel Birmingham in the 1970s. I’m grateful to the Venture Scout Leader who widened our horizons.
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